"It's strange, to think that it's just been us this whole time."
"A lot of stuff got in the way. Now's as good a time as any to bring them in."
"I...I'll be right behind you."
"I know you will be."
Spring had blossomed from the forests and trees, yet the stubborn rain still lingered, drenching Ponyville with the fertile promises of the coming warmth. A cool breeze swirled about the leaves with a casual sigh, and while ponies huddled indoors, tending to the precious warmth of their hearths, the Carousel Boutique was busy as ever, new seasons seeding new fashions amidst the surfeit of moisture. A surfeit there was, also, of high emotions as Rarity the unicorn, Equestria's premiere seamstress, scattered scraps of cloth all over her 'inspiration room'.
"No no no! A paucity...a paucity of purple!" she shouted, tossing a roll of violet ribbons to the other side of the room. "We cannot have this excess of...of brownness! How...how utterly gauche."
"It looked just fine to me," Sweetie Belle said plaintively, hiding between two piles of boxes, a pitiful refuge from another of her sister's many moods. "I though it was nice, and, uh.... traditional?"
Maybe that was the wrong thing to say, because Rarity immedietely flushed two shades redder, a shift which had a fantastic effect on pure white fur. "Traditional!? This is the wrong season to be 'traditional!' What we need is electricity! Vigor! No no, Sweetie, we are in the business of destruction this year!" She stamped out of the room, having heard the faint ringing of the doorbell above her wild rants. "'Traditional!' We must inculcate boldness! We wager with danger, Sweetie Belle, danger and daring! The twilight of the deities! Mountains swallowed up by whirlpools!" With that, she opened the door with the most careful and dainty of gestures and, with eerie calm, addressed her visitors with a soft, welcoming tone. "Ah, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, a pleasure to see you both this afternoon."
Both pegasi glanced at each other before Fluttershy, in a fit of impulse, spoke. "I...I was wondering if...if it was possible that maybe you could set aside time to-"
"We're gonna visit my dad!" Rainbow Dash interjected. "I figured that since we've known each other for so long now that I oughta introduce family and stuff."
Rarity broke out into a pleasant grin. "That's a wonderful idea, Rainbow darling! Why, I don't think I've ever met your father before, have I?"
"Haven't really talked about him much, no," said Rainbow Dash, a lilt of hesitation in her voice. "But yeah, he's a totally awesome dude! One time, when he was in boot camp, he totally got the wing commander's attention because of how great his uniform and drill looked. He still has the plaque from that, too!"
"He sounds like a gentlepony of great poise and dignity!" Rarity answered, imagining a rainbow-maned stallion with much in smooth graces and fine manners. How he must have wowed the mares in his day! "My dear father also served in the cavalry some time ago, before he married, and I recall that he showered quite a bit of praise on the Air Cavalry. Anyway, I must make his acquaintance at once. Is there a particular date?"
"Next Monday," Rainbow Dash stated. "We're gonna meet up at the balloon terminal for the 11 AM Falcon Ridge run. Also, uh..." She shuffles a bit. "Are you OK? We thought we heard shouting, and-"
"Oh, I'm perfectly fine!" Rarity said insistently. "I'm just working out some inspiration, you know how it is."
"Uh...right," Rainbow Dash answered, forcing her eyes to face forward and not glance sideways. "You can make it, I hope?"
"Of course, darling!" Rarity answers. "Now, I must get back to work, dearies. Ta ta!" She closed the door gently, and from outside the two pegasi mares heard shouting about 'fire bursting from the ocean' and other similar feats of diction.
Fluttershy blinked twice. "Uh...she is...I guess we should..."
"Yeah," said Rainbow Dash soberly. "One down, three to go."
Across the town square, clouds of cocoa scent intermingled with the alkaline scent of raindrops, gifting the day with a burst of strange, confectionary fragrance. Stubbornly remaining brightly coloured amidst the gloom, Sugarcube Corner was a handy refuge for anypony who wished to escape the dreary autumn sleet for a sampling of the wonderful world of pastry from one of its fantastical gatekeepers, who was busy trying to learn how to teleport around the shop floor. "That'll be two bits, and from you three bits, and here's your cocoa cake, no wait that's for you sir, and then you wanted a cheesecake, and a souffle, and a berry blast fruity-tutty scramble surprise log cake!" A pink blur raced around the shop floor, serving ponies their ordered cakes and purchased sweets and even providing treats they didn't order or even know they wanted but, as they are quickly made to learn by the talking blur, actually did.
Rainbow Dash was nonplussed by all this. "Uh...maybe we should wait till it's less busy," she decides. "It's gonna be a bit...well...yeah."
"Oh, don't worry, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said sweetly. "I know...I think I can get through to her."
Rainbow Dash nodded. "If you think you can!"
It was easy enough to slip through the door without hinderance, but the storm of pink something dancing about between three or four different ponies was almost enough to convince Rainbow to abort this attempt. "Leave it to me," Fluttershy assured, in that quiet, soothing way that she always did. The yellow pegasus took a deep breath and stepped towards the pink cyclone.
"A blueberry cupcake!" it said. "No, that's yours, and yours is the black forest cake, and yours was the mango-stuffed upside-down swirly-whir-"
"PINKIE PIE CALM DOWN!"
Pinkie Pie was immedietely stunned mid-air, collapsing into a heap at Fluttershy's feet which, as expected, she recovered from in a second. "Oh my gosh! Did I start doing that again huh huh?" Three blinks, and soon Pinkie Pie zipped right to the cash register and punched in each order in an organized and logical fashion. "That's five bits from you, sir, and six bits from you, ma'am, and thank you very much have a great day goodbye!" She slams down the lever on the cash register as the last order is processed and zips right back over to her friends. "Fluttershy! Rainbow Dash! I'm sorry I got so crazy but it was super busy and I got really excited so I tried to do everything at once again because customer satisfaction is super-duper special and important and everything!" She took three deep breathes, her eyes slowly shifting from wide-open anxiety to cheerful satisfaction. "So how can I help you guys?"
Fluttershy blinked. "Oh, Rainbow Dash and I were wondering, if you could hear us, that is, if you're not really pressed for-"
"We're gonna visit my Dad!" Rainbow Dash interjected for the second time. "He's a really funny guy, Pinkie. One time, when he was a junior flyer in the Air Cavalry, he put a whoopie cushion in his lieutenant's wing-guards so it made funny noises whenever he spread his wings. It was totally hilarious!"
Pinkie Pie beamed. "Wow, he sounds super-duper swell! I'm sure he must be swell, because you're swell, too, even though I've never seen him but I've seen you and that makes total sense! When's it's happening? Are we going today?"
"He's...we're gonna see him this Monday," Rainbow Dash stated. "We're taking the balloon at 11 AM. Can you come?"
"Sure I can absolutely!" Pinkie Pie declared. "I'm kinda wondering why it's that day out of all the days because- I got a customer!" And with that Pinkie Pie was lost to them again, disappearing into a flurry of pink and baked goods.
Once they were outside again the calming sensation of the cool breeze helped to restore their previous tranquility. "Thanks for the save, Flutters," said Rainbow Dash. "Figures this would happen, huh?"
"I...I'm just happy to help," said Fluttershy, crossing one hoof in front of the other. "Two more, then?"
"Yeah," Rainbow Dash concurred, her burden feeling lighter. "Two more."
Down the road they could smell the familiar scent of raw apples amidst the crisp, energetic scent of budding flowers. Spring was the slowest time at Sweet Apple Acres, at least in terms of harvests, but it looks like the Apples have some kind of back-up business involving a pile of tiny jars of jam. They were quite a few earth ponies milling about, most of them poking around with what appeared to be small jar-sealing devices, but one made herself heard even from afar.
"I think we're gonna have it done early, I reckon!" said Applejack, her country drawl easily discerned. "Figure we gotta start the packing next week, and- heya Rainbow Dash! Hey Fluttershy!"
"Yo!" Rainbow Dash greeted, waving from her hovering position. She did appreciate Applejack's initiative; it saved her the trouble of starting this awkward offer. "You working hard as usual, eh?"
"Harder than you!" Applejack japes, and they all had a good chuckle for a while, even Fluttershy. "So! What brings y'all down these parts anyway? You wanna mosey along somewhere?"
"Actually," said Fluttershy, her voice barely above a peep, "we were going to...going to..." She gulped and swallowed when she sees Rainbow start to open her mouth to finish her sentence. No, she can do this! "We were going to invite you! Yes! To visit Rainbow's father!" She smiled, so happy with having said something for herself.
"Yeah, what she said," Rainbow added, a little impressed. "He's...not really around as often as I'd like, but we try to hang out at least once a week."
Applejack gives Rainbow an odd look. "Uh, Rainbow, this isn't something, uh...'sensitive' or something like that, is it?"
"No, it's not like that!" Rainbow Dash insists. "It's...well, my dad used to be in the Air Cavalry, so we were kinda used to him not being around too much, but he'd always send us something cool that he found wherever he was. One time he sent us a picture of him with some griffons he worked with. He's, like, a traveller and stuff!"
"Right, right," said Applejack, nodding in understanding. "Well, since me and the other ponies are just about wrapped up, I guess I can go with ya! When's it happening?"
"It's...it's happening on...the next Monday? Yeah," peeped Fluttershy, smiling bashfully.
Applejack couldn't help but grin at Fluttershy trying to keep on top of things. "I can definitely make that for sure. Guess I'll see you 'round, then!"
"Actually, I kinda got a favour to ask," said Rainbow Dash. "You mind bringing along a jar of your apple jam? He's got a thing for that kinda stuff."
"Sure thing, Rainbow!" said Applejack. "I'll take something from our best stock, no sweat!"
The two pegasi were hovering off a few minutes later (Fluttershy had remembered she could fly this time, but she stayed close to the ground). "Uh, well, Rainbow Dash, that was...easier, I think?"
"Yeah, it was, actually," said Rainbow, thankful for Applejack's straightforward personality. "One last pony."
"Uh, do you think she's gonna be...?"
"C'mon, Fluttershy, she'd live in that library even if they made her queen of everything!"
Just as predicted, a couple of Royal Guards were wandering around near the Ponyville library, giving Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash perfunctory glances of greeting before resuming their standard mode of being blank and uninteresting. The inside, of course, was quiet, save for the distinct sound of thick pages being turned around the corner. There she was, settled on a cushion and reviewing what appeared to be several atlases. Spike, her faithful assistant, was fast asleep on a pile of them on the floor.
"Let's see...the page numeration should indicate the- Oh, good afternoon Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy!" Princess Twilight Sparkle arose at once, levitating her atlases up with her. "I was just trying to decide if I should organize these by visual style or by the place-name hierarchy. It's a bit of a recurring problem with these kinds of volumes, I find."
Both pegasi glanced at each other in mild confusion. "Uh...I guess it is!" Rainbow Dash declared, concealing her continual amazement at Twilight's bookish ways. "I guess this is a bad time to ask if you're gonna be busy next Monday?"
"Actually, I think I scheduled myself a period of relaxation for that time!" Twilight said, dropping the atlases (they make a noticeable 'thud') and scrounging for something amidst the large pile of papers. "Ah, here we go! Rest and relaxation for 3 days starting this Sunday."
"Very good!" Fluttershy suddenly blurted out. "I mean...you see...that's when it's happening, the..." She takes a deep breath. "We're gonna visit Rainbow's dad!" She smiled at herself again.
Twilight blinked. "Rainbow's dad? Rainbow's...hey, that's Wing Commander Spectrum Blitz, isn't it, of the 4th Reconnaissance Wing?"
"5th, actually," Rainbow Dash answered, not at all surprised that Twiight's done her research. "He's...retired now, actually, but yeah, he got into a lot of scrapes back in the day."
"Scrapes," Twilight says, tapping her chin and letting that word solidify in her mouth. "Like...during the Bittenburg campaign?"
"Not as bad as Greenmist Island!" Rainbow Dash answered, chuckling. "That was from way back, even before I was born. He showed me a piece of his helmet from that mission; it was a big one."
"Yes, I've read all about it!" Twilight declared excitedly, experiencing a profound sort of communion with Rainbow over this relatively esoteric knowledge. "Your father...oh, I can't wait to ask him all kinds of questions! I haven't really met any Air Cavalry veterans, and I bet Mr. Blitz has so many stories to tell!" She cloppity-clopped about excitedly before quickly remembering that she was in the company of friends. "Ah...heh, so, I'm definitely going to be there, at...where do we meet?"
"The 11 AM balloon to Falcon Ridge," Rainbow Dash stated. "Hope you don't think you have to bring your guards with you, too!"
"I hope they don't think so, too," Twilight quipped.
They said their farewells, and Twilight quickly returned to her work with the atlases. Very quickly, though, a memory came to her.
"Hey!" she said aloud, almost startling Spike awake. "Isn't Falcon Ridge where they have the..."
Monday came along quickly, and with it, funnily enough, a large measure of sunshine as the clouds parted to provide some respite from the spring rains, though the cool air remained. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had arrived half an hour before the balloon took off, but pretty soon the others started trickling in, too.
"Oh, this weather is a tad nippy, isn't it?" said Rarity, adorned in an elegant, silken scarf and what appeared to be another one of her fancy hats, a big floofy lavender thing that Rainbow likened to a big boat. "The fresh air is quite a wonder for the stamina, I'll give it that."
"Hey Rarity," said Rainbow, "you done with upturning the valleys and rivers yet?"
Rarity blinked and blushed just a little. "Was I being that lo- of course, darling! Do you not see my calm, relaxed, and totally carefree attitude? The work is quite done, and very well, despite, ah, distractions, yes." She smiles, her pure white teeth gleaming like crystal in the sunlight.
"Oh, distractions, I love distractions!" shouted Pinkie Pie, bouncing into view. "Like one time I got distracted by this big butterfly outside the window. It was so beautiful and wonderful that I had to look at it, but then the cake I was making became butterfly shaped but it was supposed to be balloon shaped so I had to start over and-" She stops and takes a magnificently long breath. "It was a moderately interesting day I guess."
Fluttershy shuffled towards Pinkie. "A big butterfly? Was it a grand monarch?"
"I dunno if it was a king or a queen of butterflies," Pinkie Pie answered, "but I can tell you about it!"
Five minutes later, Pinkie Pie had completely described, with excruciating detail, the exact coloration and pattern of the butterfly she had seen, allowing Fluttershy to identify it as an uncommon subspecies of the Great Whitewood Floater. Into the midst of this zoological discussion (and Rainbow Dash looking very bored) came Applejack, doffing her hat to her friends as she drew closer, a small leather saddlebag slung over her back.
"Howdy, y'all!" she greeted, looking bright and alert. "Looks like we got one last spell of sunshine 'fore the last big rains of the year start. 'S that your doin', Rainbow?"
"Actually, I got today off for this," Rainbow Dash explains, "but thanks for giving me credit, heheh."
"I figured you'd say that!" Applejack quips, smirking. "Now, looks like we're all ready ta go, 'cept...where's Twilight?" The orange mare glanced around, having expected the punctual (and punctillious) alicorn to have already an appearance.
"Now, darling, we do know that Twilight is a princess now," said Rarity. "Perhaps she had some royal matters to deal with before- ah, there she is! Good morning, Twilight Sparkle!" She elegantly hoof-waved to a familiar purple shape sauntering towards them from the main gate.
Twilight didn't seem to be having a very good morning, however. Her expression was somber and serious, her wingtips drooping noticeably as she approached, with heavy steps, the platform where her friends were waiting. Trundling along beside her was Spike, who was carting along a large (for him) knapsack and looking as flummoxed as Twilight was downcast.
Awkward silence prevailed for a moment or two before Applejack spoke. "Uh...Twi, you doin' all right?"
Twilight blinked and aroused herself, as if suddenly realizing that she was in the company of others. "What? Who? Oh, right! I...it's just...I had some late night projects to work on! Yeah, that's it." She grinned, but Applejack could tell that it was a bit forced. "Now, everypony, I think Wing Commander Blitz likes ponies to be on time, so we should get going."
Rarity and the others made their way onto the platform and onward into the airship that would take them to Falcon Ridge, with Rainbow Dash taking the rear. Within minutes they were in the air and settled into their seats around the edges of the cabin. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were continuing their discussion about butterflies and other flying insects (Pinkie was making some very dramatic gestures to express their flight habits), whereas Rarity was busy reading a book on, appropriately enough, the heritage and dress of the Air Cavalry. Twilight, however, remained by herself at one end, tapping her hoof on the floor nervously, and across from her was Rainbow Dash, who had propped herself by the window and was gazing outward, pensive.
Spike was also by himself, which Applejack took advantage of by intercepting the baby dragon and tapping him on his little shoulder. "Uh, Spike, y'know what's eating Twilight?"
The dragon gazed at Applejack quizzically, then looked over at Twilight, then back to Applejack again. "Beats me!" he admitted, shrugging. "I just remember her reading up something yesterday in the newspaper section of the library, and looks like it bothered her enough that she didn't really sleep last night. Then she told me to carry this bag and I don't even know what's in it. Sorry that I can't say more!"
Applejack nodded slowly. "S'all right, Spike. I get ya." But she still didn't understand why Twilight was acting like this. What had she learned? She didn't have much time to mull it over, though, because very soon they were on the final approach to their destination.
It was perched high upon the top of a cliff, resplendent in silken banners displaying the emblem of Cloudsdale, but red on white rather in the brilliant rainbow colors that was the norm. Tall pillars of solid marble soared up to bear pendiments of etched limestone, the surfaces of the roofs and walls decorated with numerous carvings and reliefs. There were scenes of battle and adventure, of pegasi soaring above impossibly large mountains to take on their ancient enemies: gremlins and harpies and all the like. From the main building a number of wings spread out, as if to mimic the flight of the pegasi who clearly built it, and all around there were gardens of luscious trees and ponderous vines and beautiful flowers.
The largest entrance, right at the very centre of the main building, was at least twenty feet tall, words of a strange language chiseled along the wall above a huge, brazen door. Before it a large plaza made of stone spread out towards the docks at the edge of the complex, where the airship presently came alongside. Atop large wooden piles that lined the docks were carvings of pegasus soldiers, a silent procession of guardians over this temple of martial heritage.
As the gangplank swung outward to meet the dock Rarity gazed out at the complex in wonder, admiring the finely chiselled features of the buildings, the elegantly carved statues and reliefs, the foreign writing adorning the largest pediment that added such mystery and intrigue to an already grand structure. "Is this where your father lives, Rainbow Dash?" she asked, stepping down onto the wooden pier. "What a magnificent habitation! Why, it's certainly something that would be worthy of such a fine officer and gentlecolt like himself. But..." She brought up her little booklet again, flipping through the pages. "I can't seem to find anything about this place here..."
"Wow, look at that guy!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, bouncing out of the airship and towards a large statue that was near where the dock met solid ground. It looked like a pegasus warrior, spear in hoof, ready to charge the enemy. "He's going to fight!" she continued, peering up at it from the base. "Look how scrunched up his face is! He's right about to st- uh...huh?" She tilted her head to the left, then to the right. "He doesn't look very happy." Indeed, the spear he was carrying was actually broken into two, and he was dragging it along, looking pained.
Applejack stepped forward, curious about the statue, too, but she took a closer look at the sign nailed to the base. It was written in two languages: that weird script that decorated the buildings, and regular Equestria. It said: "The Fallen". That struck her, somehow, and for a moment she felt something indescribable, something like the melacholy of lost opportunities. She looked up, past the statue, intrigued by another sign that happened to be right past it. "Uh...guys?"
That sign read: "Falcon Ridge Veteran's Hospice"
Pinkie peered at the new sign from underneath Applejack's hat. "Veteran's Hospice? What's that? Rainbow Dash?"
Rainbow didn't look like she was particularly willing to answer. She squirmed and twiddled her hooves where she hovered. "I...well..."
"It's a special kind of hospital," said Fluttershy, coming up to them, hovering. "It's for...for pegasi who fight, but get hurt... for a long time."
"Fighting?" Rarity said, flummoxed. "But...Equestria has been at peace for at least a hundred years. Why would there be fighting?"
"Celestia doesn't want ponies to worry about what happens at the frontier," said Twilight, walking up to the group, Spike faithfully at her side. "They go out to keep Equestria safe, knowing that nopony will ever hear of it until years from now."
Pinkie Pie gazed at Twilight blankly. "Oh," she said. "But... they're fighting ponies! They're tough and strong, like Applejack, but..fight-ier! They'll all get better eventually, right?"
"Some of them do," said Rainbow Dash, and she moved on without further word, towards the giant doors in the centre. Her friends followed her, one by one, with Rarity near the front and Fluttershy taking the rear. The entrance loomed above them, ominous and foreboding, but at this proximity they could see that the large foreign words had a smaller translation below them, like the statue near the docks. It said: "Is It Nothing to You?"
It turns out that there was a set of smaller doors built into one of the larger ones, just the right size for ponies. Rainbow grasped the handle of the right door with her hoof and swung it open into a beige-coloured room, a lush lilac-coloured carpet covering the whole floor. The inside was surprisingly cozy given the solemn, martial exterior. There were many vases of flowers, and coffee tables with chairs, and even a little foutain bubbling pleasantly in one corner. Hallways stretched off to the left and right and also at the far end, and right in the middle was a receptionist's desk, square-shaped and made of marble. A pegasus mare with a pinkish mane and violet fur was minding the desk, and as they entered she looked up and stood up at once, bowing as they approached.
"Welcome to Falcon Ridge, Princess Twilight," she greeted. "Are you here to review our facilities? We have a line-up of notable patients you can visit."
"No, it's all right," Twilight replied soberly. "We're just here to visit one."
The receptionist pony looked over and saw Rainbow Dash among them, understanding immedietely. "Of course. If you please, I'll just give everypony passes." She reached beneath the counter and produced guest cards tied around lanyards for each of them. Pretty soon, Rainbow Dash was leading them farther down, through a door that said "Major Wards".
Here, the coziness of the previous room was accentuated. Paintings of bucolic scenes where in abundance, and along with the flower pots from before there was the occasional sapling in the corners. There was another reception desk, but this one was manned by nurses, all pegasi. They shuffled about energetically, exchanging papers and reports and sometimes just chatting about their days.
There were also some patients around here. As they entered, a long gurney came out a door in the back carrying a pegasus stallion, both of his wings bandaged into casts. Down one hallway was a mare sitting up on another gurney, rocking back and forth and muttering to herself. Another stallion, sitting in a waiting area, was bandaged all over and was drinking repeatedly from a tin cup, but it was, Applejack noted with great unease, empty, and probably had been for a long time.
This wasn't their final stop, though. Rainbow stepped towards the desk and flashed her pass, and the nurses waved them off without further word. The next hallway went past the doctor's offices. Through one window, Rarity caught sight of a mare sitting at the chair in front of a doctor's desk, her head in her hooves and the doctor's hoof on her shoulder in a gesture of comfort. She turned away at once. Pinkie Pie was a bit luckier: she saw a pegasus stallion moving about on a prosthetic leg, looking mildly satisfied despite himself.
In the next room, the theme of the decor changed. Now the floors were tiled and the walls painted in soft, neutral hues reminiscent of birch and maple. Even the nurses' uniforms were different, being more like clerical robes than modern scrubs. The patients here, all sitting around in leather chairs scattered about, were not bandaged, but they were all wounded: some stared blankly at the walls, while others sat with a nurse dressed in lavender who seemed to be counselling them. One stallion had his head bowed down, his face scrunched up in apparent pain, like the statue at the docks.
Fluttershy kept to herself in silence, regarding the patients and the nurses and the whole facility with distant familiarity. She kept everypony moving along, in particular Pinkie Pie who seemed prone to stop and gaze at the patients, but with a sobriety and calm that was uncharacteristic of her. Spike also had trouble keeping up, but only because he was so small. All this time he had been looking around with wonder and curiosity, blessed by his youth to have a greater affinity for the vigor of life than its sudden loss. Thus, they moved onward, down the hall lined with solid mahogany doors. Every door had a sign displaying a cutie mark, most likely that of the patient inside, but one at the far end was very distinctive: a silver star surging upward through a ray of rainbow-coloured energy. Wing Commander Spectrum Blitz.
"Rainbow," Applejack said, a little concerned but also, it seemed, a bit frustrated. "You could've told us."
Rainbow frowned a little. "It's...I didn't want ponies to worry about my problems, especially about family stuff."
"Believe me, I understand that family stuff," Applejack replied, her expression softening.
Rainbow Dash paused, feeling a little ashamed, but she smiled a little. "Thanks, Applejack," she answered. The pegasus let out a deep breath, steeling herself. "Well, here he is," she states. "Don't stare too much." She swung the door open, and they beheld luxury: soft red carpet and finely crafted wooden furniture and even a boudoir. When they stepped inside, however, they saw him, lying on his side on a fancy bed, a rope harness holding his legs up. His head faced the single window, and his face was half a ruin: burns had scraped away a large portion of his face and, it appears, much of the rest of his body, too.
Rarity turned away, trying not to look, but instead her eyes caught sight of the wall near the door decorated with newspaper clippings. There was one from the Cloudsdale Herald, dated the year Rainbow Dash came to town: "WING COMMANDER BLITZ SAVES AIRSHIP! All passengers and crew rescued from burning wreck by noted war-hero; Blitz in critical condition..." There were a wall full of photos too, of a younger, happier Spectrum, whole and handsome, a small rainbow-coloured filly on his shoulders, smiling. One photo, though, caught her attention: it was dated from before Rarity was born, and was labelled "Greenmist Isle rescue". There was Spectrum, still a Flying Officer judging from the insignia of his battle uniform. His helmet was falling into pieces, and with one foreleg he supported a very bedraggled unicorn stallion, his cutie mark of triple hoofballs clearly visible. Rarity stared at it, her mouth hanging open.
Pinkie Pie was perusing the newspaper articles as well. She found one from way back, too: "PEGASUS PATROLLERS STOP HARPY ATTACKS. Local rock farms saved from a poor harvest." Rock farms? She took a good, close look at the particular farm that was in the distance of the photo. "Hey! I know that place! It's..." She clammed up suddenly, her expression returning to that blank, contemplative gaze she'd had since they came into the compound.
For a while afterward, silence reigned in the room, the only sounds being of their breathing and the low beeps of Spectrum's life-monitoring equipment. Rainbow spoke first, stepping forward to face her father, and in turn the rest of them followed and stood behind her, next to the window. "Uh... hey Dad," Rainbow said to him. "It's Rainbow...what's up?"
Spectrum Blitz said nothing, only staring out the window, unresponsive.
Rainbow Dash didn't seem to be too disturbed by this, so she turned aside and began to introduce her friends. "I told you about Rarity, Dad. She's the best fashion pony I know! Well...the only fashion pony I know, but she's one of the best, if not /the/ best, in Equestria."
Rarity smiled awkwardly and doffed her hat to him. "It's...uh, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Wing Commander Spectrum. I've read all about your unit; such a fascinating history!" She remembered, in particular, Greenmist Isle and that hoofball-loving stallion he had rescued.
Spectrum did not reply, and Rarity, feeling even more awkward, stepped back into the group and let Rainbow introduce the next friend. "And this is Pinkie Pie, Dad. Not only are her cakes and stuff really tasty, but she holds the best parties ever! Isn't that right?"
"I'm a super duper party pony!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, suddenly wearing a party hat and bearing a party favour in one hoof. "And I've been working on a super special 'let's greet Rainbow's totally awesome dad party!'" She blew her party favour at him, generating confetti from her hat, and she smiled and giggled like she always did, but then she looked at Spectrum's blank eyes, and beheld his scarred face, and pretty soon her favour deflated all on its own. Her expression faded back to neutral, and she stepped back into the group too.
Rainbow gave Pinkie a nod, apparently appreciating her attempt at livening the mood. "...And this here's Applejack. She's the strongest mare I know, and if she wasn't such a bumpkin maybe she'd make a really good soldier like you."
"I resent that," Applejack answered, but she wasn't in the mood to really object. She took of her hat, holding it against her chest, and stepped towards the maimed veteran. "Mr. Blitz, I ain't the kind of pony who says all the fancy words, but...I really appreciate what you've done for Equestria, everything. Also, I heard you like preserves, so I wrangled up a jar of our best Apple family stock." She reached into her saddlebag and produced a small jar, gleaming apple-brown with delicious jam, but for a moment she hesitated as she looked around for a place to put it. Quickly, she found a table on the other side where, with sharp sorrow, she placed it among all the other jars of preserves, all stacked neatly, all unopened. Most of them were adorned with a tiny greeting card: "To Dad, From Rainbow". One of the jars had its own ribbon; it was zap-apple.
Rainbow gave Applejack a sad smile. "Thanks, AJ. Now, Dad, you might've heard about Twilight being a princess now, but you don't gotta worry about having to salute or anything. Because, uh..."
"I haven't earned it," Twilight responded, looking wistful. "But you've earned it many times over. I'm the one who should salute." With that, she bowed down before Spectrum, with the dignity and respect she reserved for very few, like Celestia herself. "Spike, you can bring it out now."
The baby dragon stared at Spectrum wordlessly, bereft of words and cursed - or, perhaps, blessed - to being merely an observer. Carefully, he reached into the knapsack and produced a large commemorative plaque in the shape of a shield. "Dedicated to a hero of Equestria and the honourable father of a true and trusted friend," he read. Without further prompting, he stepped forward and propped it up against the table with the jars, home and hearth standing together with duty and sacrifice.
Rainbow looked at all her friends, feeling happy despite herself, glad to see that they came, that they knew. "Thanks for coming here, everypony," she told them. "And...and Dad?" She walked towards him, looking into his eyes. "I'll see you next week like usual." With that, she leaned forward and kissed him on his forehead.
So, the visit had come to be. One by one, they filed out of the room, in sacred silence, until only Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy remained. Rainbow touched her father's hoof, bowing her head solemnly, then slowly she, too, departed. Fluttershy followed after her, but not before she had one last look at the wall of photos. There was Spectrum Blitz, newly promoted to Wing Commander, carrying aloft his laughing daughter and, right beside him, there was a tall filly with a pink mane. They were smiling, all of them, and for a moment Fluttershy, too, smiled.
Author's Note
Dedicated to all veterans of all wars past, present, and future. We will not forget.
